Matt Nagy’s quote about Justin Fields will further enrage Bears fans

The calls for Justin Fields to start aren’t going away, and Matt Nagy’s most recent quote will only further enrage Bears fans.

The Chicago Bears remained committed to Andy Dalton all through the preseason, and even after they were overmatched in all facets by the Los Angeles Rams in Week 1 he’ll remain the starting quarterback in Week 2 against the Cincinnati Bengals. But it’s a home game, and if Dalton struggles the fans will be present to voice their displeasure/call for Justin Fields to play.

Fields played a little against the Rams, five snaps to be exact, with two completions in as many pass attempts and a rushing touchdown. According to head coach Matt Nagy, Fields’ deployment went exactly according to plan.

“We had the plan and we stuck to our plan,” Nagy said. “We knew where and when we were going to use him and we stuck to that. And so, we’ll see where that goes and how we do it. But I think we all understand that for us, strategically, we’ll see where we go with that — without giving anything away.”

Nagy already drew worthy ire with his postgame quote calling Fields a “great weapon” Sunday night. On Thursday, he offered another interesting quote.

Matt Nagy offers quote that will further enrage Bears fans

Fields “provides a lot of value” as a “chess piece”? That seems like a nod to Rams’ head coach Sean McVay saying they were preparing to see the rookie signal-caller some heading into Week 1, effectively taking up game planning time that would have otherwise been devoted to strictly facing Dalton. The more opposing defenses have to prepare for, the better…..so Fields is being set aside as a “chess piece” right now.

If Fields is so valuable, shouldn’t he play more? Based on the one-sided loss to the Rams, there’s a strained argument for protecting him that has some notable media backing. But there’s nothing Dalton can do that Fields can’t in terms of physical execution, while the rookie is mobile in a way Dalton is not.

The Bears finally have a dynamic young quarterback, so pushing the notion he’s not quite ready to start buys time. More directly, delaying Fields’ first start allows Nagy to try to buy himself job security for 2022. For Bears’ fans, and anyone who wants to see the best players on the field in general, patience for Dalton’s general mediocrity is diminishing quickly. Sunday’s game at Soldier Field might be the tipping point.